Meta vs. TikTok: The Battle for Social Relevance

Where will Meta, Apple, and Google be three years from now? It's starting to look like they might all be very different. Nilay, David, and The Verge's Richard Lawler start the show with Eddy Cue's testimony in the Google search trial, in which Cue argued that AI is taking over — and that Google should be allowed to keep paying Apple gobs of money. The hosts also chat about the latest in the Meta trials, and how the recent Apple ruling is already changing the App Store. Then, there are some gadgets to talk about: the panopticon-slash-killer-app coming for Meta's smart glasses, the new Surface Pro and Surface Laptop, and a lot of new iPhones. In the lightning round, we do another round of Brendan Carr is a Dummy, then talk about some new Netflix designs and the latest in our worldwide hunt for party speakers.

Further reading:

• Eddy Cue is fighting to save Apple’s $20 billion paycheck from Google

• Apple’s Eddy Cue: ‘You may not need an iPhone 10 years from now’

• Google searches are falling in Safari for the first time ever — probably because of AI

  Google's statement about Search traffic

  Apple is looking at adding Perplexity and other AI search engines to Safari

  Amazon now has a ‘Get book’ button in its iOS Kindle app

  Epic will use an EU account to bring Fortnite back to the US App Store

  Patreon’s iOS update allows creators to bypass in-app purchases

  Apple is trying to halt the App Store ruling.

  Apple files appeal to wrest back control of its App Store

  A new bill would force Apple to allow third-party app stores
  DOJ’s proposed Google changes would ‘deeply undermine user trust,’ search chief says

  Firefox could be doomed without Google search deal, says executive

  DOJ asks court to split up Google’s ad tech empire

  Threads was originally going to live inside the Instagram app | The Verge

  Instagram doesn’t want to be a ‘lean-back experience.’ | The Verge

  ‘TikTok is probably the fiercest competition that we have faced.’ | The Verge

  Instagram has spent up to $700 million in a year to lure creators.

  Mosseri calls the first version of Reels his ‘biggest mistake.’ | The Verge

  Meta’s new AI glasses could have a ‘super-sensing’ mode with facial recognition

  Apple is planning smart glasses with and without AR

  Apple ‘iPhone Air’ rumor suggests a bigger screen coming in 2027

  Apple may stagger next year’s iPhones to make way for a foldable

  Microsoft’s smaller Surface Pro has a 12-inch display and starts at $799

  Microsoft shrinks its Surface Laptop down to 13 inches, priced at $899

  Microsoft’s new Surface devices ditch magnetic charging port for USB-C

  How Microsoft shrunk its Surface devices

  Policing News, Policing DEI: The FCC’s Shifting Priorities Erode Its Credibility

  OpenAI abandons plan to become a for-profit company

  Netflix is getting a big TV revamp

  Netflix will try a TikTok-like feed on its mobile app

  I put four robot lawnmowers through a brutal backyard battle

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